Ice Planet Honeymoon: Rukh & Harlow Read online

  My Har-loh and my kit deserve a better nest than this.

  I take my mate's hand. "Home," I say again, and tug her along with me. This beach is full of small caves of varying sizes. We will find a better one for our nest and then Har-loh will be happy. I will make a home for my family, and we will be together, always.

  3

  HARLOW

  We need so many things.

  As we go up and down the beach, I gather everything that might be useful. Shells big enough to work as utensils or plates, reeds that can be dried and woven into baskets, stones that work well for cooking—everything can be repurposed. It doesn't take long to fill my bag, and as we drop off our findings, I realize just how much we need. We need stones to surround the fire pit. We need utensils and cooking tools. We need furs for clothing and boots and warm blankets.

  We need a bigger cave.

  I chew on my lip, trying not to fret over everything. I'm a worrier, it's just who I am. I'm sure being diagnosed with cancer influenced that. My cancer's in remission now, though, thanks to my khui. I can afford to look on the bright side of things.

  And I've got Rukh at my side. Whatever it is I need, he'll help me get because he adores me as much as I adore him.

  So I eye our small cave and then turn to my mate. "We need a bigger place."

  He frowns. "Repeat, Har-loh?"

  "Small," I say, gesturing at the cave. "It's too small." I tap on the low ceiling, which he has to crouch under. "Small. We want big." I spread my hands. "Big cave."

  Recognition dawns across his face. He takes my hand, gesturing farther down the beach.

  I get excited. "Is there another cave? You know of one?" I shouldn't be surprised. The mountains here are positively honeycombed with caves and fissures everywhere. I'm no scientist, but I can't help but think it has something to do with all the hot springs everywhere. Whatever the reason, I'm glad for it. We can make the tiny cave work, but I'd much rather have someplace where we can stretch out and enjoy ourselves if this is going to be our new home.

  We hike across the beach, Rukh holding my hand tightly even when it's inconvenient. It's like he doesn't want to let me go. I don't mind. I'm happy to be held onto. We scramble across rocks and move to the far end of the cove. We're a short distance from the tall cliffs, but not so far that it'll be an all-day hike to get into the snowy hills where the animals with fur tend to hang out. I haven't seen anything furry wander across the beach. I don't know if we're scaring them off or if they just don't come down here. There's been a few big, fearsome-looking birds—ostriches with anger issues, I like to think of them—that we avoid. Mostly though, it's just crabs and things like that.

  Feels weird to be on a beach and not hear the constant cries of seagulls.

  Just when I'm ready to take a break because it feels as if we've crossed the entire beach, Rukh heads toward a rocky outcrop. Farther back, I can see a few blind canyons framed by rock, but he doesn't head toward them. He heads to the outcrop and it takes a moment, but then I see the entrance to the cave.

  It's a large one, all right. Even from here, I can tell that the ceiling is tall enough for Rukh to stand fully, without his horns scraping against the ceiling. I glance around. We're in the most protected part of the cove here, with the waves a short distance away, but not so close that we have to worry about tides. The interior isn't extremely deep, but it's spacious, with a shallow front chamber studded with stalactites and then a deeper inner chamber that's large and roomy. It's a little messy—there's a layer of grit all over the floor and what look like dead crab shells along the walls, but cleaning is easy enough.

  Best of all, there's a trickle of water gliding into a tiny pool near the front. It looks like it's coming straight from the stone, which means it's fresh water, not salt water. I catch a few drops on my fingers and taste it. Yup. Fresh and cold.

  I turn to look at Rukh. He's watching me with a guarded expression, as if he's worried I won't like the place. I suspect that if I told him it was terrible, he'd keep on searching until he found me something better, even if it took years. That's just who he is. He wants the best for me, even if it means far more work.

  I move to him and take his hands. "It's perfect." I beam at him. "This is a very good cave. We can make our family here."

  "Yes?" he asks.

  "Yes," I agree, squeezing his hands. "A very big yes!"

  RUKH

  My mate never stops working, even in the new cave. We bring our small pile of possessions over to our new spot, and Har-loh works on sweeping out all of the dead things and the sand on the floor. It is not an easy task, but when everything is finally clean and all the debris gone, we gather rocks and make a fire pit near the entrance, so the smoke has a place to leave. Har-loh makes a nest with the furs she wears, but I notice that she shivers when she peels them off.

  We need more furs, I realize. Some for wearing and some for sleeping. We will have to hunt together, and that worries me. Har-loh is a soft creature, and hunting is hard work. The mountains are not too far of a walk, but I would rather her be safe and comfortable here in the cave. Perhaps I can go out and hunt while she stays here.

  I do not like the idea, but I also do not like the idea of taking my mate with me on a dangerous hunt. Many of the animals in the snows have long claws and sharp fangs, and Har-loh's spotted flesh would tear easily. It will gut me to be apart from her for a day, but it will be necessary.

  Har-loh must be kept warm, and this beach does not have fur.

  It is a worry for another day, though. Har-loh looks tired, her pale face drawn as we sit near the fire. I tug her closer to me and she leans on my shoulder. I like this, my mate pressed against my side. She wraps her arms around me, shivering, and I worry she is too cold. I am a bad mate, letting my female shiver inside a cave when we could be wearing furs.

  Tomorrow, then, I decide. In the morning, when the sun is up, we will go hunting for furs. I finger one of the ones she wears and nudge her. "Har-loh, repeat?"

  "Mmm?" She sits up, giving me a curious look, and when I say the words again, she understands. "Fur?"

  "Fffhuuurr," I echo, trying to memorize the word. "Har-loh fur. Yes?"

  "Harlow's fur?" She says the words, a question on her face.

  "Har-loh, fur." I wish I had the words to tell her I will hunt her many animals tomorrow. That I will not rest until she has warm skins to drape her body in. She is mine to protect, and I will not have her shivering.

  "Fur?" my mate repeats again and then takes my hand in hers. She guides it between her thighs, over the patch of fur she has on her mound. "Yes?"

  There is a sultry note in her voice that I missed hearing before. She thinks I am asking to touch her, that I want to claim her. My frustration at not being able to communicate fades, because I do want to touch her. Touching my mate and making her feel good is still new and exciting. I lean toward her, brushing my mouth over hers in a kiss, because I know she likes those.

  Har-loh sighs and nudges her mouth against mine, even as her thighs slide apart.

  I groan low in my throat. How did I get so lucky as to have this mate? After so many seasons alone, it is astonishing to me that I have a mate to touch and to care for. That we will have a kit of our own. That we will be a family.

  That she is mine and I am not alone.

  "Har-loh," I breathe against her soft lips, even as I seek out the nub nestled in the folds of her cunt. She has shown me how she likes to be touched, and every time, I get a little better at such things. I am learning what pleases her most, what caresses make her body tighten and which ones make her cry out. Our mouths meet, my tongue lightly flicking against hers as I slide my fingers up and down her wet channel. I push one deep inside her, into the hot well of her cunt, and use my thumb to make circles around the little bud of flesh called a “clit.”

  She whimpers and clings to me, her thighs tightening around my hand. "Rukh," she pants, and her cunt squeezes me tight. "Feelsoguhd."

  I stroke i
nto her, using my fingers like I would my cock, driving into the softness of her body even as I work her clit. I love watching the pleasure build through her. She gasps, rocking against me, and then her movements become more frantic. Hurried. Her cunt grows wetter with every stroke of my fingers inside her, and she presses her forehead to mine, straddling me as I work her soft body with my hand. I need to watch her come. There is no sight I like better than when she climaxes, the tension on her face giving way to such languid pleasure. I love the way she hums afterward when her body relaxes. I am fascinated by everything, and if I could, I would be mounted atop her all day long, watching the pleasure come over her face.

  She kisses me hungrily, making soft noises in her throat as she pumps her hips, determined to come. I hold her against me, pulling her in, and when one of her teats bounces enticingly near my mouth, I duck my head and lick the tip.

  Har-loh cries out, her hands on my horns. I feel her press her cheek against one as she grips them tight, her movements faster and faster.

  My cock aches with need, the tip leaking fluid down my shaft, and I want nothing more than to rub it against her. Or inside her. I want her to come first, though. I like the sight of her release even more than I like my own. I tease the tip of her nipple with my tongue, licking it and then sucking on the small bud. Sometimes she likes my teeth, so I add them too, but gently, gently.

  Her tight cunt squeezes my fingers. Har-loh's body trembles against me, and then she's panting, a small whine in her throat. She stiffens, and then moisture floods my hand and her release quakes through her.

  I hold her against me, running my mouth over her soft, speckled skin as she comes down from her climax. She hums softly when she relaxes, and then begins to press kisses along my jaw and my neck. "Ur tuhrn behbeh." Her words are nonsense, but her tone is clear. I made her feel good. I rumble with satisfaction, rubbing her flanks. She slides a leg over my hips and straddles my cock, then presses another kiss to my mouth. "Gunnaride yew."

  "Repeat," I rasp, desperately wanting to understand what my mate is telling me.

  But she only gives me a sly smile and rubs her wet cunt up and down my shaft. When I groan, she leans in to lightly kiss my mouth and then settles back. Her fingers stroke my cock as she holds me steady…

  And slowly seats herself upon my length.

  I do not dare move.

  Never have I imagined such a thing. Mating is still new to me. My Har-loh had to show me how to put my cock inside her. I had the desire, but I did not have the knowledge. Ever since then, we have been ravenous for one another, and Har-loh constantly shows me new ways to pleasure her. I have taken her while she is on her back, and I have taken her from behind, like the animals do. Her straddling me and feeding my cock into her body…is new.

  And I like it.

  I groan with pleasure as she wriggles atop me, her body taking my entire length. She pants, her gaze locked on me, her hands tight on my arms. "Rukh." She breathes my name as if it brings her joy just to say it. Then, as we watch each other, she raises her hips slowly and then seats herself upon me again.

  Nothing has ever felt better.

  My seed threatens to spill forth quickly, but I want this moment to last. I am fascinated by the sight of her riding me, of my cock disappearing into her body. I grip her hips and guide her up and down, faster and faster until she's whimpering once more, my name breathless on her lips. I grit my teeth, determined to last until she clenches over me again. I have learned that if I do things just right, Har-loh will climax twice, and it is my new goal to do this every time.

  She cries out, throwing her head back, and her nails dig into my arms as she rides me faster and harder. Despite my intentions of taking my time, I cannot. This is too good, my mate too beautiful, her cunt too tight and wet and perfect. The moment I feel her clench tight around me and she makes a gaspy sound in her throat, I come. My release explodes out of me and I clutch her tightly against my chest as my seed spills into her heat and her body quakes over mine.

  Nothing feels better than this. Nothing.

  Moments pass. Har-loh hums in her throat, smoothing my mane back from my face. The strands of my mane are sticking to her skin as well as mine, and she makes noises in her throat, talking. I cannot follow her words, but I like her happy sounds. I hold her against me, stroking her soft skin.

  I have never been so happy. Having Har-loh is…I do not know the words. I only know my heart is so full that sometimes it hurts in my chest.

  She murmurs something and then pulls a fur over both of us. I arrange it, making sure to cover my mate, because she is the one that is always chilled. Har-loh smiles at me and then tucks herself against my chest, talking softly. Her cunt still clasps my cock deep inside her, and I can feel every quiver of her body. I like this.

  The fur is a reminder of what I must do tomorrow, though. I must go out and hunt. I have done traps and fished since we arrived here on the beach, because I did not wish to leave my mate's side. Har-loh is fragile and there are many, many things she does not understand about taking care of herself. She does not know how to set traps or to make a spear. It is lucky she has me, because I can do these things for her. But hunting is dangerous. I cannot take Har-loh with me. I do not know what I would do if a herd of dvisti turned the wrong way and trampled her. I do not know what I would do if a snow-cat attacked her.

  Har-loh must stay safe in the cave, with the fire. I will hunt.

  4

  HARLOW

  When I wake up in the morning, Rukh is gone.

  Huh.

  Normally we wake up tangled together in the furs for some pre-dawn snuggling and a before-breakfast quickie, but this morning, he's nowhere to be seen. I rub my eyes and peer out of the cave, but no Rukh. Probably fishing, then. Maybe he woke up with a burning need to get some fish in or something. We're still not great at communicating yet, and a lot of what goes between us is guesswork. With a yawn, I wrap the few furs we have tightly around my body and stoke the fire. The coals have gone down while I slept, and I poke them until they get hot once more, then work on setting up the makeshift tripod we have for heating water.

  I wish we had more things. I've taken for granted just how many supplies there are back at the main cave, and how hard everyone has worked to make those supplies. When I think of how much time I have to put in just to make a cooking pouch, I have a whole new appreciation for those giving, thoughtful sa-khui people who took a bunch of humans into their homes, no questions asked, and fed and clothed us.

  Rukh thinks of them as the enemy, but they were always kind to me. I've made my choices, though. I'm with Rukh now, and that means starting over in all ways.

  I pad to the entrance of the cave, my toes curling on the icy rocks, and peer out, looking for my mate's broad shoulders and long, wild hair. I don't see him on the beach, either, but it doesn't mean that he's not around. He's probably gathering food. I wet a soft scrap of leather, take a quickie bath with the melted water, and then add a bit more from the trickle in the cave. Once my pouch is full, I add the last few leaves for hot tea and get dressed. Maybe while Rukh is fishing, I can find some of the plants that the sa-khui always used for tea. I can start our supplies there, I decide. Leaves are easy. It's everything else that's daunting.

  One thing at a time, Harlow, I remind myself.

  I head out to the cliffs, noticing that Rukh's spear is gone from inside the cave. Definitely hunting. The sight of it missing actually makes me feel a little better, and I concentrate on picking leaves for tea. I'm proud of myself for actually recognizing several of the plants that cling to the cliffs here. It's weird, because for an ice-covered planet, there's a surprising amount of greenery to be found if you know where to look. There's the not-potato trees that grow incredibly tall stalks, but there aren't any near the beach that I can see. There are all kinds of vines crisscrossing the rocks and growing into the crevices. And I know that if I go up into the mountains, I can dig under the snow and find all kinds of strange, wir
y plants that somehow grow despite the cold and the gray, weak sunshine.

  I gather leaves until my little pouch won't hold any more and my hands are full. I look around for Rukh again, but there's still no sign of him. I can't let that worry me. He knows what he's doing. Next time, I'll tell him that if he heads out he needs to take me with him. I need to get better at hunting, too.

  No sense in being angry about it, though. And I'm not, really. I'm just frustrated that our communication is falling down again. It's one thing I wish we were both quicker at. There's so many things I want to say to him, and I can tell he wishes he could talk to me more. We're getting there, but we're both impatient for more. Thinking about Rukh and words I can teach him distracts me, and I'm back at the cave and spreading out leaves to dry before I know it. Near the entrance of the cave, I see the piles of seaweed I scavenged from the beach, and I lay them out to dry, as well. When they dry up, they harden into thick reeds that can be braided and woven into baskets, and the thought of making my own is exciting.

  Storage. Who'd have thought I'd be so damn thrilled for storage? Blows my mind.

  There's a lot to get done, though, and I can't sit around. With that thought in mind, I get to work.

  By the time I gather my last handfuls of leaves and have them spread out on a fur near my tiny fire, I realize it's almost dark.

  No, scratch that, it IS dark. The skies are just bright because the stars are shining overhead. It's completely dark out and the moons are up. And there's still no sign of my mate. I kept busy all day, because sitting by the fire and worrying doesn't do me any good, but he's never been gone for so long. I can't help but panic a little.

  Okay, a lot.

  I go to the entrance of the cave, hugging my fur wraps to my body, and scan the dark beach. No Rukh. What do I do? Should I grab my makeshift spear and head into the hills after him? It's dark, and all kinds of weird creatures come out at night, so I don't know if that's such a smart idea. But if he's out there, hurt, I can't just leave him and keep my happy ass warm by the fire.